MST3K 913 - Quest of the Delta Knights
The Movie Synopsis This action-adventure/comedy takes place in a world where the 15th century finds Europe still in the Dark Ages. A young boy named Tee (Allred) is sold into slavery and bought by the beggar Baydool (Warner), who takes him on as an apprentice. When Baydool realizes that Tee is the subject of a prophecy, he reveals himself as one of the Delta Knights, a secret order dedicated to helping humanity. Trained by Baydool, Tee also becomes a Delta Knight and joins forces with a ne'er-do-well painter named Leonardo (from the small town of Vinci) and a tavern girl, Thena. Pursued by Lord Vultare (again, Warner), minion of the wicked Mannerjay, they set out on a quest to find the lost treasures of Archimedes.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107910/plotsummary Information * Actress Brigid Conley-Walsh (who plays Thena) is still active in the entertainment industry. She works under the name Brigid Brannagh, as has appeared in C.S.I., Grey's Anatomy, Star Trek: Enterprise, Angel, and a starring role in Lifetime's Army Wives. * A large portion of this movie was filmed at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire in Black Point, Novato, California. Performers from the Faire were employed as extras in various scenes throughout. Exterior scenes of Archimedes' storehouse were filmed at the Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco, California. Exterior scenes of the prison were filmed at Petaluma Adobe State Park, Petaluma, California. Some interior scenes of the Mannerjay's palace were filmed at the Scottish Rite Temple, Oakland, California. * After this film, actor Richard Kind (Wamthool) gained fame as a cast member of the TV sitcoms Mad About You (which was already in production at the time this movie was released) and Spin City. He has also had a successful career as a voice actor. * In a 2017 interview with The Onion, David Warner expressed a fondness for this film and referred to its use on MST3K. The Episode Host Segments *'Prologue': Crow gets some hail damage, so Gypsy repairs him and gives Mike and Tom an old AMC Crow as a loaner. He runs a little rich, but has a killer radio. *'Segment One': Gypsy puts some seal coat on Crow, so he returns. Gypsy needs the loaner back because some guy's Crow got totaled by a semi. Pearl is upset over Mike's lack of misery, so she tests the experiment by switching places: She goes into the theater, while Mike goes down to the castle. *'Segment Two': The 'bots love Pearl because she gave them a mint in the theater. She checks on the castle and finds Mike, Observer, and Bobo drinking beers. She switches places back over the 'bots objections; they are very mad when Mike returns. * Segment Three: A group of Servos perform the madrigal Air on a Delta Knight. They take control and sing a naughty song when movie sign sounds. *'Segment Four': "Leonardo da Vinci" (Bill Corbett) visits the Hexfield to tell the crew that his portrayal in the movie is way off base. Tom keeps asking him questions, and he evades them; Mike has to tell Tom to stop asking what Leonardo does. *'Segment Five': The 'bots miss Pearl; Mike tries to comfort them. Down in the castle, the Delta Knights have booked it for their pancake breakfasts. That's all they do now, pancake breakfasts. They make enough money for next year's pancake breakfast. One of them throws hard candy and hurts a lot of people. *'Stinger': It's the 'I'm cominnnnnngggggg!' guy. Information *This episode features Pearl Forrester's only appearance in the theater in a regular episode. (She also visits in the 1st Annual Summer Blockbuster Review.) She riffed the first movie segment with Crow and Tom as an experiment while Mike was in Castle Forrester with Observer and Bobo. Later, she returns to the theater while Mike & the Bots are watching the end credits. *During Host Segment Two, Mike, Observer, and Bobo have a clearly-identifiable bottle of whiskey on the table in front of them. There does not seem to have been an effort made to modify or obscure the bottle's label. Obscure References *''"Witchiepoo cracks down on Pufnstuf!"'' :A reference to the 1970s children's TV show H.R. Pufnstuf. *''"Joan Blondell!"'' :Joan Blondell was a popular actress during the 1930s. *''"Hey, a wheat penny!"'' :Among coin collectors, the term "wheat penny" refers to pennies minted between 1909 and 1958. *''"Never ask Bootsy Collins if you can borrow a coat."'' :Bootsy Collins is a funk musician known for his flamboyant style of dress. *''"He came *this* close to being Leonardo da Gary, Indiana."'' :Gary is a city in northwestern Indiana, known for its high crime rates and for being 's hometown, as well as the subject of the eponymous song in the musical . *a map of England!"'' "...Dan and John Ford Coley!"'' :England Dan and John Ford Coley were a soft rock duo best known for their 1976 hit "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight". *is it coming, O Great One?" "Do you ever get back to Edmonton?" :Wayne Gretzky, whose nickname was "The Great One", played for the Edmonton Oilers * "Jimmy Carter was in office." : (1924- ; full name James Earl Carter, Jr.) is an American politician who was the 39th President of the United States (from 1977–81). * "Touched down in the land of the Delta Knights!" :The original lyric "Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues" comes from 's 1990 gospel-like hit "Walking in Memphis." The song was covered in 1996 by . * "Packers!" :Refers to the NFL team, the . Also a call back to a running joke in The Giant Spider Invasion. * "Well, better than Quest of the Delta Burkes, I suppose." :A former Miss Florida, actress (1965- ) is best known for her role as Suzanne Sugerbaker on the sit-com (1986–93). * " for sale, here!" :Singer/songwriter (1947-2017). While Allman had some success as a solo act (with 1977's being his most successful album), he was better known as the lead singer/organist/songwriter for the , which was founded by his brother Duane. Their biggest hit was 1973's " ". * "Dagnabbit, Lukie!" :The village has a Ozarks/hillbilly feel to it and the sit-com (1957–63), from which this line comes, featured the original "hillbillies move out west" plot, years before (1962–71). * "This just sounds like a movie that should have Matthew Broderick in it." :Actor (1962- ) made his feature film debut in 1983's . He has since appeared in dozens of films, quite often (but not always) in light, whimsical roles (inspiring Crow's comment). * "I'll see if Bombadil has a place to crash..." :Tom Bombadil is a character in the novels. A merry forest-dweller, he has some magical abilities as well. *''"It's Joe Walsh! Aaah!"'' :Joe Walsh is a musician known for his work with several successful bands including and . He also had a recurring role on the TV sitcom . He has a reputation for having a disheveled appearance and engaging in recreational narcotics use. *''"Robert Bork takes a constitutional!"'' :Robert Bork was a controversial conservative judge who was nominated for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court in 1987, but voted down in Congress. He was heavyset and had distinctive chin whiskers. A "constitutional" is a term for a leisurely stroll intended as moderate exercise. *''"Now I'm going to attach Rosey Grier's head to your shoulder."'' :A reference to the 1972 movie The Thing with Two Heads in which the head of an older Caucasian man (played by ) was grafted onto the shoulder of an athletic African-American (played by former professional football player ). * "And during the day, I'm a Stevie Nicks impersonator." :Stevie Nicks (1948- ) was a key member of the rock group Fleetwood Mac. She also had a solo career. She is known for wearing long, flowing, semi-transparent clothes. * "Oh, the lead singer for Canned Heat." :The Los Angeles blues-rock group was formed in 1966 by blues historians and record collectors Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson and Bob "The Bear" Hite, with the large Hite as lead singer. Their hits included " " (1968), "Goin' Up the Country" (1968) and " " (1970). * "Ashley Wilkes is comin' a-callin'." : is one of Scarlett O'Hara's suitors in Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel . * "Next up, Pippi Longstocking." : is a Swedish children's book character created by Astrid Lindgren. First appearing in 1945, Pippi is a red-haired young girl portrayed as adventurous, independent, and extremely athletic (strong enough to lift a horse above her head). * "Yeah, yo quiero Taco Bell..." :In 1998, fast-food chain Taco Bell introduced Dinky the Chihuahua in its ads. The little dog would show up wherever a Taco Bell foodstuff was being consumed and utter "Yo quiero Taco Bell" (which translates to "I want Taco Bell") with a computer generated mouth and a voice provided by actor Carlos Alazraqui. * "He's the lost member of ZZ Top." :The Southern blues-rock band ZZ Top was formed in 1970 in Houston, Texas. They are known for their long beards and ubiquitous sunglasses and hats. * "Halt, Sir Dan of Blocker!" : Actor Dan Blocker (1928–72) is known for his role as "Hoss" Cartwright, one of the sons on the long-running Western TV series Bonanza (1959–73). Hoss was heavyset and typically wore a large hat, much like the townsperson here. * "Master Bojangles!" :Refers to the song "Mister Bojangles," about a man who dances to keep his spirits high, even in unpleasant situations. Written and originally recorded by Jerry Jeff Walker in 1968, he was inspired when he met a street singer named Bojangles in a New Orleans drunk tank. * "Bring in 'da noise, bring in 'da funk." :Conceived and directed by George C. Wolfe with choreography by Savion Glover, the tap-dancing-centric stage musical Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk opened off-Broadway in 1995 to rave reviews. Memorable Quotes : Crow: Well, better than "Quest of the Delta Burke", I suppose : Narrator: Many years ago, terror stalked the land, making life harsh, unfair, and treacherous. : Crow: Jimmy Carter was in office. : Warner appears. : Crow David Warner: apologetic In it for the money, folks. : wizard Baydool drags Travis ("Tee") away from the slave market crowd and into his shack, he tries to get him to talk. : Baydool: ¿Como te llamas? : Servo Tee: Yeah, yo quiero Taco Bell, whatever. : . . . : Baydool: Comment vous-appelez vous? : Crow Tee: Je m'appelle… Bite Me! : of Baydool, Tee runs out the door. : Pearl Tee: I'll see if Bombadil has a place to crash. : Tee: I was taught that those who I respect, who are wise, I should call "master". : Crow Tee: Right, Mr. Bater? : scares off an intruder by throwing the contents of his chamber pot at him. : Pearl: Ew, wizard whiz! : Crow: Drain the wizard! : stops Baydool just as a hammer falls from a roof in front of them. : Servo Tee: Please, hammer, don't hurt 'im! : Vultare has an audience with the Mannerjay while slaves fan her. : Servo Slave: Do you want me to oscillate, Ma'am? : . . . : Lord Vultare: We've rounded up a number of suspects. : Crow Vultare: …including Kevin Spacey. : Lord Vultare: I'm certain some of them are spies for the Order. : Mannerjay: What of the map? : Lord Vultare: No word. It seems… : Pearl Vultare: …chilly in here. Could you turn down your guy? : shows Tee some blow darts. : Baydool: These will put anyone to sleep in no time. : Crow: They're tiny James Michener books! : another attack by Vultare's thugs ends in failure. : Tom: The Vikings in this movie don't vike very well. : Leonardo and Thena set off on horseback after a confusing scene of exposition. : Servo: Well, this movie has lost me. It's lost me and it's trotting off without me. : Tee and Leonardo are recaptured by the forest Prince, a noisy, loony henchman drops out of the trees in belated pursuit. : Loony Henchman: I'm com-iiiing! : Mike The Prince: Put a sock in it, Legolas! : Tee: When in doubt, rest. : Crow: You are full of crap beyond your years, kid. : sets up an explosive device at the mouth of the Storehouse. : Servo: Tee pities the fool who gets in his way. : is reading what appears to be Archimedes' plans for his high-tech weapon. : Servo Vultare: Enjoy much scientific pleasure with magnificent operation. Video releases A home video release of this episode is not currently forthcoming. However, the host segments are available on the Satellite Dishes disc included in Volume XXXIX. Category:MST3K Episodes Category:Season 9 Category:Sword and Sorcery Category:1990s movies Category:Unreleased Episodes Category:PG-13-rated movies Category:Direct-to-video films Category:Episodes directed by Michael J. Nelson